Unlicensed driver charged in death

HILLSDALE — An unlicensed Hillsdale man has been charged with four felonies and a misdemeanor for his involvement in a Dec. 11 car accident that resulted in the death of a Hanover man.

Dylan John McConnell, 17, of Hillsdale is accused of driving under the influence of drugs and without a license and faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

Shortly before 8 a.m. on Dec. 11, McConnell was driving northbound on M-99 near Beck Chevrolet when he apparently lost control of his car and smashed into the vehicle of Mick Lee Obenour, 45, of Hanover.

A toxicology report conducted by Mercy-St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo revealed McConnell was under the influence of drugs including Benzodiazepine (Xanax). District Prosecutor Neal Brady said those results are in line with statements made by witnesses who were with McConnell the night before.

McConnell did not possess a valid driver's license at the time of the accident.

Obenour was pronounced dead at the scene and McConnell was flown to St. Vincent Hospital on the day of the wreck. While drugs were a factor, icy road conditions that morning also played a role in the accident.

“The road was slippery or at least snow covered ... obviously the condition of the road did have some effect on the incident, but had he been driving cautiously and at a speed commensurate to what you should drive under those conditions, it shouldn’t have happened,” Brady said when explaining why he sought the charges.

McConnell was officially arraigned in Hillsdale County District Court Monday on one count of operating while intoxicated causing death, one count of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, one count of operating with licenses suspended, revoked, denied causing death, one count of operating with licenses suspended, revoked, denied causing serious injury and one count of a moving violation causing death (a misdemeanor).

Although he is only 17, McConnell can be charged as an adult under Michigan law for criminal purposes.

The Hillsdale City Police Department arrested McConnell last Friday evening on the five-count felony warrant. Detective Brad Martin said part of the delay in filing charges was because the department was working with the Toledo Police Department to obtain the toxicology report.

“The Toledo PD have been great to work with,” Martin said. “This is definitely an unfortunate situation where multiple lives were changed.”

Judge Donald Sanderson set McConnell’s bond at $50,000 with 10 percent allowed or a surety bond that could be signed by his parents, who currently live in Texas. The family hired James Hayne to represent McConnell, but he was not present during the arraignment Monday. Calls to Hayne’s office were not returned.

McConnell is currently being held at the Hillsdale County Jail and is scheduled to appear in District Court for a preliminary exam on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.